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Text Scrivener calmly sipped at his coffee as he sat on the balcony overlooking the Garden, Spike sitting beside him and trembling a bit, looking a little pale and haggard. After what had happened with Rarity last night, after eventually watching Rarity's surely-dead body brought into the Nosferatu's hive to complete the metamorphosis, he had gone to bed in the guest room they'd given him. Then, this morning, he'd woken up from a nightmare... only to see Rarity laying beside him, smiling, pristine, beautiful... and with cat-like eyes in pale irises and a mouth filled with sharp teeth and needle fangs. Rarity was now snoozing comfortably in his bed, and Spike was a shivering wreck, staring blankly over at Scrivener before the poet finally sighed as he looked up from Luna and Celestia's sparring session in the garden, saying quietly: "Look. I get you're freaked out, Spike, but believe me, you'll adjust. I adjusted to being a Tyrant Wyrm. There's nothing different about Rarity now except for the fact, that well..." "She's dead?" Spike asked weakly, and the dragon shivered a little again before he sipped at his coffee, breathing slowly before he clenched his eyes shut and nodded when Scrivener looked at him quietly. "I... I know, I know, I know. Don't... I'm not... I'm not even ungrateful, it was just... nightmares all night, and I wake up this morning and I thought she was going to bite me and after seeing that vampire last night bite her and... I... I..." "Calm down." Scrivener said gently, and he reached out and carefully pried the coffee mug out of Spike's trembling claws, before he smiled a bit and reached over to pat one of his now-clean arms. "Look, you gave up... strength and power for her. She gave up a normal life for you. You obviously love each other, and you'll make it work once you start-" Then Celestia's three swords smacked their flats across Luna's face one after the other, and Scrivener winced, his cheek reddening as his head snapped to the side as the starry-maned unicorn staggered with a gasp, before shouting angrily: "Damnation, Celestia, I was listening to Scrivener's conversation!" "Yes, and had this been an actual battle you would have been decapitated. Focus, sister." Celestia said calmly... and then she winced when Luna's spear spun violently before beginning a fierce, vicious flurry of stabs, Celestia's swords singing back and forth through the air in parry-after-parry as she added hurriedly: "But this is still a sparring session, not an actual battle!" "I shall show thee battle!" Luna raged, her spear spinning and knocking one of Celestia's swords flying to shatter into ashes against the wall before she leapt forwards, and Scrivener watched meditatively as the two siblings fought before he sighed and shook his head a little as Spike stared dumbly over the balcony. "One of them will eventually stab the other one, then they'll stop. They're sisters and battle-maidens, and Luna's competitiveness doesn't always mix very well with Celestia's own need to be at the very best of her game." Scrivener remarked mildly, and Spike winced a little as he dropped back into his seat before the poet smiled a little over at the dragon, leaning towards him and saying softly: "Anyway, as I was saying. You just need to get used to each other again, so to speak." Spike nodded hesitantly, rubbing at his face with a soft sigh before he looked quietly over at Scrivener, studying him for a few moments. Scrivener looked back curiously, and then the dragon smiled a little and shook his head, murmuring: "It's just... I dunno. I thought Rarity and I were the ones who had changed the most, you know? We ran away, and... me, the assistant librarian, and her, the beautiful designer and outfitter, we became wandering nomads selling trinkets and charms and our services as crafters and blacksmiths. But then, well..." Scrivener smiled a bit, nodding slowly in return as he said softly: "Then you come back here and... you find out that you're not the only ones who have changed. Not by a long shot." "And it feels like everything's... just beginning. Or just ending, I don't know..." Spike replied quietly, lowering his head with a sigh as he rubbed his claws together nervously. "I look around, and... the whole world's different now, Scrivy, and I don't even know what I'm supposed to do anymore." "You're supposed to settle down, that's all. You and Rarity have lived a rough life as nomads for years but... now you're home." Scrivener said softly, glancing down into the Garden and watching as Luna neatly knocked away both of Celestia's remaining weapons, then shoved the pole of her spear up against the ivory equine's throat with a grin and a flick of her horn, making the fiery-maned winged unicorn wince. "You and Rarity have a life that's... a mix of new and old to adjust to. Everything's different, sure... but that doesn't mean some things aren't still the same." Spike nodded awkwardly, and then Scrivener smiled a bit before he calmly returned his eyes to the battlefield, as Luna tossed her spear to the side and she and Celestia bowed respectfully to one-another before the starry-maned equine leapt forwards to hug her sister fiercely, Celestia laughing despite herself. "Tell you what. I'll send a message to Ponyville today, ask Rarity's parents, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to come by when they can. I'm sure Rarity must miss her family, and it'll be good for Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage to see their old friends, too. Good all around." "'Tis a wonderful idea! I shall ask Pinkie Pie to help prepare, she always likes to put her skills to use." Luna called easily, and Spike smiled lamely, looking apprehensive even as the Queen of the Night exclaimed cheerfully: "Ponyville knows we are no enemy, after all, why, Cheerilee even brought the foals through these great halls on a field trip more than once, 'twas most delightful!" The dragon only remained quiet, still unsure but hesitant to speak out against the idea, wanting the best for Rarity and nervous about pressing his luck: after all, they had gone from being wandering nomads ranging the northern lands to 'back home' with 'everything they desired.' And yet Spike couldn't find himself completely content, felt like everything that was supposed to be so right had instead turned upside down and gone horribly, horribly wrong... His feelings, his worries and fears intensified in the evening, as he'd returned quietly to his room and found Rarity sitting in front of a mirror, smiling to herself and styling her mane before she gazed ardently over her shoulder at him, saying softly: "My handsome dragon. I want to apologize for giving you a little fright this morning... I was just so excited, and I wanted to see you... because now we'll be beside one-another until the end of time." "Well, kinda. I think now you're the one with the longer lifespan." Spike smiled a little as he walked towards her, reaching his claws up to rest on her shoulders as she looked back towards the mirror, and she felt... strangely firm. Like warm, polished marble, her skin had lost its silky softness beneath her ivory coat. She almost gleamed, and her eyes were cloudy and deep and mysterious... And she was beautiful: she had twirled her mane and tail into their old corkscrewed style and trimmed out the ragged ends, and Spike thought she looked younger, more vital... and yet, something about her, maybe her eyes, maybe the stiffness to her face and the way her face seemed to freeze itself in the expressions it took on, the solidity of her coat... it made her seem unnatural. Dead... and when he slid his claws up her shoulders and along the sides of her neck, he had to repress a shudder as he passed over the dimples left from the vampire's bite, even as Rarity sighed in relaxation and bliss... But even though some things about her seemed a little... different... she was still Rarity. She still had her little quirks and odd habits, and when he brought up her family and Scootaloo coming to visit, she had gone into a bit of an anxiety attack, tending to her already-perfect mane and features as Spike had smiled a bit and soothed her and reminded her it wouldn't be until tomorrow anyway. Not that he enjoyed her anxiety... only that he liked seeing that she was still the same Rarity he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. The same Rarity he'd sworn to be with forever... Reuniting with her family went surprisingly well, although they quickly picked up that something was different about her. But they were simply too happy to see her back... and after months of not seeing each other, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were glad for their own little reunion as well. They didn't get to see each other as often these days, not merely because of the distance, or growing older... but because of the unease that still lurked between Ponyville and Enstasis, even if the villagers always ensured they treated Luna and her servants of the Night with respect and kindness, and had far less fear of her and Scrivener than the rest of the nation did. It settled Spike's nerves to see Rarity so happy, interacting warmly with her family... but come nightfall, she seemed a little more ghostly, a little more pale, and her skin felt colder, harder. He was worried about her, as she nestled in close, breathing slowly... worried about her, and a little scared of her when she whispered: "I smell your blood. I feel it, pulsing in your veins... I hear your heartbeat..." Spike had awkwardly excused himself to find someone who could tell him what was going on, and Twilight had come immediately, looking her over, then saying quietly and looking oddly relieved: "She just needs some blood, that's all. You had me worried there for a moment..." "But I thought I would only need it once a week or so!" Rarity looked up with a wince, voice with a whining edge that hid her fear. "And it... the thirst almost hurts me, Twilight, this is... much, much worse than I thought it would be..." "Don't worry, it's just because this is your first experience with the thirst, and more importantly because all the blood was recently drained out of your body. I'll go and get you a drink to help you feel better..." She paused and smiled amusedly over her shoulder, pausing in the doorway when Rarity looked up with a worried expression. "No, I'm not going to bring you some poor pony to bite, don't worry." Twilight returned some fifteen minutes later carrying a tray with a bottle of heated wine and a single glass on it. She set this gently down on the bedside table, then poured Rarity a glass of the thick red substance, Rarity's nostrils flaring and her cat's eyes sharpening as Twilight said softly: "You can still eat and drink as you please, even though you need blood specifically to survive. But a lot of the Nosferatu prefer mixing blood into other things, or... say, eating specially-prepared meats." Rarity nodded, her horn glowing as she lifted the glass carefully to her jaws, then she closed her eyes and shuddered a little as she swirled it in her mouth before swallowing and sighing quietly, murmuring: "Well, it's nice to be reassured that I neither have to kill nor actually drink blood from the vein... and... and the thirst will fade, yes?" The Lich smiled and nodded, saying quietly: "It will, yes. After you get your fill tonight it should start getting easier for you to handle, but like I said... you were drained. Of course you're going to be... thirsty... after that. Not to mention you've already been pretty active." Rarity smiled a little, then she looked over at Spike softly as he hesitantly reached up and squeezed her shoulder, saying softly: "Thank you for... for being here with me despite everything, Spike. You've given up so much for me and... I haven't given up much for you. Things must seem... slanted sometimes, and I know I've... scared you, and I can understand that. But I love you, darling. And I want you to know that... I appreciate you." Spike smiled back after a moment, relaxing... and over the next few weeks, he and Rarity adjusted slowly to their new life. They moved back into Ponyville, where Rarity cleaned up her old boutique – horrified by the state it was in – to set up a new shop, selling clothing, the gemstone trinkets and jewelry she'd gotten so adept at making, and doing tailoring and repairs. Spike, meanwhile, took a job at the blacksmith's, putting the skills he'd honed over his years of nomadic lifestyle to work. There was always need for a good smith, after all, and he knew how to make and repair everything from belt buckles to plate mail. Rarity had blood wine shipped in regularly from Enstasis, and she insisted on providing everything she could in return for Scrivener and Luna's generosity, sending them clothing, doing repair work on soldiers' uniforms, mending and sewing tapestries and putting all her other skills to use for the King and Queen. Admittedly, it delighted her, too, to be named their royal tailor, and she loved the fact she could hold such an important position and at the same time remain in Ponyville... a place she was only just now realizing how much she'd missed for all the things her traveling life with Spike had taught her. And one of the perks of the job was the fact that she got to hear all the big news and gossip days before it was released to the public, such as when she'd made the journey to Enstasis one afternoon – protected from the sun by an enormous, floppy hat, a parasol, and slim wraparound sunglasses – and found Twilight Shadow bouncing excitedly around, waiting for her and hurriedly taking her to the Garden, where Scrivener and Luna were sitting curled up tightly together, Scarlet Sage, Apple Bloom, Celestia, Pinkamena, Nidhogg, the Moon Blessed and others who were all close to the family looking eager for the news as Rarity's eyes widened slightly: she didn't need Nosferatu senses to know what Luna was about to say from the way she was sitting, however, or how King and Queen were both gently touching her stomach. "I am pregnant." Luna announced calmly and clearly, and she smiled radiantly, tears in her eyes as she curled herself back against Scrivener tightly, and those gathered all clapped and stomped and congratulated her warmly. She looked almost shy under the hail of praise and felicitations, and Scrivener smiled widely as he held her close, the two looking delighted, happy, bright... and somehow, as compassionate and good as the couple had once been, those years ago now before the world had ended... or was it before the world had been reborn? It didn't matter: they were happy, radiant, and eager to share the news with the world. Luna wanted all the very best for her baby and nine months seemed like far too short a time to prepare everything to be exactly as she wanted. There was so much to think about, so much to do, and Luna was both excited and remarkably anxious, bouncing a little in the spot as she rambled and curled herself back against Scrivener, Celestia and Twilight both nodding along with the requests and orders and exclamations she made as the others tried to keep track of everything she was saying and wanted done. Rarity smiled warmly all the same, however, even as she struggled to keep up with Luna's instructions on what clothing to make, what fabric to use, what colors and patterns everything should be... and yet if anything helped her feel like she once more had found the place where she belonged and grow used to her new life, it was this, providing her services for a friend who had helped her find home, happiness, and the comfort of what she had become. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story